The Tainted Throne
by LoneWolf69
Summary: Betrayed by a close friend Joshua is forced to abandon his throne and move into hiding. Joshua must regain his throne to prevent a world war. Post Sacred Stones


A/N

Disclaimer: I do not own Fire Emblem and no money exchanged hands.

Sweet I got my first fan fic up. Review…constructive criticism is welcome also alert me to spelling errors and such.

* * *

Chapter 1

After the war of the stones Joshua returned to his desert home as the Tempest King of Jehanna. Gerik who had led a band of mercenaries during the war accompanied Joshua to Jehanna and quickly became his most trusted friend and advisor. Joshua was content as king but he never outgrew his love for the game of chance. Joshua had ruled for a short seven years unfortunately it would not go much farther than that for Gerik had set plans to betray Joshua and claim his throne. He had started letting his men into the palace and all over Jehanna a few months after gaining Joshua's trust. His men were disguised as servants, travelers, guards and even having them enlist. His men quickly made up nearly seventy five percent of Jehanna's military.

Gerik had set his plan to strike on the night of the first rain storm of the new year which were few and far in between. In the mist of that particular night Joshua challenged Gerik to a little spar something they had done from time to time and as usually included a high stakes bet on this time the stakes were higher than Joshua could have imagined.

Part way through their duel twenty armed men raced in. Joshua turned to them, but before he could ask what was going on a hot searing pain shot through him from his back. He slowly looked down, knowing his luck was up, to see Gerik's sword protruding from his stomach. Gerik pulled his sword free surprised to see Joshua still had enough strength to stand. Joshua slowly turned to Gerik and was only able to mouth the word "why?" through the pain before falling to the floor.

Gerik and his men left the room, leaving Joshua to die in immense pain and agony. Blackness threatened to swallow him forcing Joshua to fight all the harder to stay conscious, to stay alive and just when he thought he could bear it no longer, just when he thought his luck was finally all but used up the pain began to wane until finally lifting all together. It toke a minute to remember how he had gotten there and it all came rushing back which made it all the more confusing. He looked up for the first time to realize he was lying in the lap of a beautiful girl with intense blue eyes that seemed to hold him there making him never want to look away. Finally when he was able to break eye contact he noticed a rod laying on the floor next to her, she was a healer. "I'd bet my entire treasury you're not with them" he said rather weakly, a large smile broke out across her face perhaps the most beautiful smile he'd ever seen.

"You'd bet your treasury on just about anything my lord" she replied a sad look in her eyes.

"I would not have bet on this to happen…what's your name?" he asked sitting up

"Evalette" she whispered "my lord you must…"

"Evalette, what's happened here?"

"I'm not entirely sure my lord…"

"Please call me Joshua"

"Joshua…men throughout the entire palace started pulling out weapons that were hidden in various places and started attacking guards and servants anyone who I assume was loyal to you and posed a threat. Please Joshua you must leave this place"

"No I must end this" Joshua said standing up.

"No" Evalette said, the pain clear in her voice "there are too many for you to take on your own it's better you leave this place and live then to die and seal this countries fate in the hands of a tyrant" Joshua knew this to be true and no matter how badly he wished it were not so any attempt now would be futile and even worse he would die for nothing as well as the one who had saved his life; Joshua nodded in agreement. Relief was clear upon Evalette's face but that was short lived as three armed men walk into the sparing room and hesitated at seeing the leader they betrayed alive and well. That hesitation was the last mistake they would make; Joshua was already upon them with near inhuman speed and cut them down before they could call for aid.

Joshua made his way back across the room grabbing Evalette's hand and continued to the adjacent corridor. Several more men ran in just as they were about to reach the corridor. Evalette spun to the threat and the air about her started to crackle with a strange power that seemed to center around Evalette's finger tips as she quickly drew a strange symbol in the air the act toke little less than a second. She then pressed her palm into the symbol and a large bolt of lighting exploded into the room killing the men but giving off their position because of the deafening crack that followed.

"Someone would have heard that," said Evalette eagerly looking around.

"I bet the whole palace heard that…and then some…come on" he said grabbing her arm and started running down the corridor. They encountered a few lone traders running to investigate the noise; Joshua cut them down with out slowing. He willed his feet to move faster for it would be a matter of time before someone will realize what was going on and seal the exits. They ran left into the kitchen that had a stairway access to all floors. They took them without confrontation clear to the bottom floor.

They ended up in a dark room with large tables lining the walls in which servants carried plates of food and drink to and from the ballroom, which incidentally was their last obstacle. Joshua crossed the room with a couple of swift, silent strides to the closed door and knelt down to peer through the keyhole into the ballroom. A band of traders were inside the ball room with ten or twenty servants, guard and guests all of whom were on there knees heads bowed and looks of fear etched on their faces. Behind each prisoner was a soldier at attention and many more lined the walls. At the head of the ballroom stood Gerik staring down at the prisoners, a few moments later he looked up to his men and gave a single sharp nod. The soldiers unsheathed there weapons and brought them down upon the prisoners with sickening thuds.

Joshua forced himself to look away out of the keyhole, angrily gripping his sword, fighting a losing battle with his tears. Many of those who were executed had been his friends for the past seven years. Evalette knelt next to him and placed a hand on his shoulder in an attempt to comfort him; he looked up into her teary face, her blue eyes intensified by the moisture.

After a few moments Joshua got him self under control willing the tears to cease, there would be a time for that later. He looked once more into the keyhole. "Are all other exits sealed off completely?" Gerik asked the armored man next to him.

"Yes sir" Gerik looked back to the rest of the men.

"Joshua still lives" he said holding up Evalette's rod and then smashing it on the floor "there is nowhere for him to escape except here; form ranks in front of those doors, you are to kill him on the spot" he said savagely before turning on his heels and walking out. The rest of the men quickly assembled in front of the doors, suddenly Joshua felt luck was still with him with all those men massed at the door another large bolt would kill most of them in there and possibly wound the rest into uselessness. Joshua turned to Evalette and in a low voice asked.

"Think you can conjure another bolt?" Before he could even finish Evalette already had the symbol draw in midair with more of the strange energy flowing into it, it began to glow brighter as if begging to be released. Joshua grabbed the handle of the door and looked to Evalette who nodded; He pulled open the door while rolling to the side. She pressed her palm to the symbol and the bolt was released. It slammed into the men exploding on impact followed by a thunderous crack with more power than the one in the sparring room. Joshua ran into the room closely followed by Evalette, the damage the bolt caused was immense. Most of the men in the middle were completely vaporized the rest were mutilated and dead, the sand colored marble was cracked and shattered. The amethyst pillars across the front of the ballroom's grand entrance crumbled down and shattered across the floor and the front doors were also blown out. Joshua and Evalette ran through the busted doors and into the capital city streets.

* * *

A/N

This was originally a prolog short and sweet but it kind of grew on me so I just decided to make this chapter 1 instead and pick the story up from there which will probably work better than my previous idea.


End file.
